Earlier this evening I noticed one of my friends had posted photos of the Tea Party Rally taking place at City Center DC on Facebook. I was planning on going that part of the city to attend a gallery opening, so I decided to stop by the event and take some photographs of people in the crowd.
Generally speaking, I’ve always felt this Taxpayer March on Washington reeks of astroturf— a term used for fake grassroots. With this weekend’s Taxpayer March on Washington being heavily promoted on Fox News and other conservative media outlets, it cannot be considered grassroots by any means. The concept of a grassroots movement is that it is organic and not promoted from the top down, but organized from the bottom up.
Upon arriving at City Center I was immediately aware that the “patriots” were actually standing on astroturf. I let out a hearty laugh at the irony many of those present were not aware of. Below are some of the photographs I took earlier this evening. In a couple days I hope to have the videos I recorded uploaded to YouTube.
Manipulated photo showing some of the demonstrators
View the rest:
/>Animated GIF featuring both sides of a demonstrator’s sign
Three women holding signs while standing on astroturf
Backside of a demonstrator standing on the astroturf
A sign that reads “Exactly how much should I pay for your healthcare” with Joker/Obama stickers
A random crowd shot
Tomorrow’s demonstration should be quite interesting….
Related Taxpayers March on DC Entries:
– Photographs of the Taxpayers March on Washington [PART ONE]
– Photographs of the Taxpayers March on Washington [PART TWO]
– Photographs of the Taxpayers March on Washington [PART THREE]
– YouTube Video of Teabaggers Having A Rally On Astroturf
You have misjudged and misinterpreted the motives of the Sept. 12 rally attendees completely. Your photo shots are very creative, but not realistic. The people who came to Washington to protest are the genuine article, truly GRASS ROOTS.
You are not.
– Jo Beck, St. Louis, MO
Comment by Jo Beck — 9/16/2009 @ 10:07 pm
Jo,
I am originally from Ballwin, Missouri, a suburb of Saint Louis, MO. I came to the District of Columbia 10 years ago for college at the George Washington University. In those years have attended nearly every major demonstration and I have also helped to organize major demonstrations attracting over a million people. However, I have never witnessed a demonstration promoted on television & radio so heavily in my life. I am sincerely glad that you came to Washington and expressed your first amendment rights. I hope you come again and stay a little longer to see how Congress & the Constitution disrespects the people of the District of Columbia. You came to a Taxpayers March on Washington, D.C. and the District of Columbia has license plates that say “TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION” —-do you see the inherent irony? What was so genuine about this demonstration was the rugged individualism displayed in the signs I photographed. Never before have I ever seen so many individualized signs. I hope you take the vigor and excitement you experienced at the rally and put it to use in your community.
Comment by Nikolas Schiller — 9/16/2009 @ 10:31 pm